High Peak lifesaver explains why giving blood matters

Lucy Ball

As part of the Advertiser’s year-long campaign to encourage more people to register as blood donors, we are sharing the life-saving stories of people who have donated.

The ‘Give a Pint, Save a Life’ initiative wants people to pledge to step up and make a difference, just like Jessica McHale did when she started giving blood.

The 27-year-old said: “When you give your time, and your blood, you are doing something amazing which could save someone’s life and it really isn’t scary at all.”

NHS Blood and Transplant is responsible for ensuring a safe and efficient supply of blood and associated services to the NHS in England and Wales.

Every year the health authority needs just under 200,000 new blood donors each year to replace those who no longer donate for reasons such as ill-health, pregnancy or foreign travel, and to ensure the right mix of blood groups to match patient needs in the future.

She said: “For those who are scared of needles, would you be scared of having a blood transfusion? No, because it would save your life.”

Jessica works at Blythe House Hospice in Chapel-en-le-Frith and has already donated 14 pints of blood.

She said: “If your are healthy there is no reason why you shouldn’t give blood. The staff at the donor centres are amazing and make you feel at ease. The NHS needs people to give blood and have a great website that lets you check any kind of condition to see if you are eligible, which I found really helpful.”

Since donating, Jessica has received a text message explaining where her blood has been used - helping patients at Oldham Hospital and Stepping Hill accident and emergency department. She said: “That was the moment it hit home for me, that the reason I am doing this is to help others, and it made the process complete.”

To register or to find out if you are eligible, visit www.blood.co.uk.

Pledge your support

Don’t forget to let us know if we’ve inspired you to give blood for the first time. Call our reporter Lucy Ball on 01298 767081 or email

lucy.ball@jpress.co.uk.

We’ll also be printing a form in the coming weeks for people to sign and pledge their support to the campaign.

In the meantime, we’re also interested in hearing more of your experiences of giving or receiving blood.

Get in touch with your stories, or send us your donor selfies and let us share them with our readers. Contact Lucy on the above email, or submit them via our Facebook page www.facebook.com/buxtonadvertiser or on Twitter at @Buxton_News.

Remember, we’ll be running the campaign throughout the whole of 2017, so there’s plenty of time to get involved.